Crash World
by Ileana DuBaer
Summary: COMPLETE A softer approach to the classic Yugi gets abandoned because Yami gets his own body. When high school is over, what does the future hold for Yugi? Originally posted in June '04.


**This is was one of the songfics I had on before they released the no lyrics announcement. This was originally posted in June '04 and is the prequel to _And So We Meet Again_. It also happens to be my favorite story. This is the version with the lyrics edited out. A link to the original copy is posted in my bio. **

**Many thanks to the reviewers who commented on the original. You inspired me to write the sequel.**

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OMG! Thank you so much for dropping by! Welcome to my second songfic. I know I said that this was angst, but on a scale of 1 to 5 where 5 is very angst, this is a 2 but i think it fits the mood of the fic I'll get on with the story in a sec, but first I gotta tell you that this story wasn't written to be yaoi...but I did it so it could be if you like that stuff, or not to be if you are totally against it. I'll talk more at the end so read on! 

Disclaimer: I'm REALLY flattered if you honestly think I own Yu-Gi-Oh, but the honors go to Kazuki Takahashi. And I do not own the song Crash World.

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_Crash World_

Domino High School-Lunch Break

Yugi Moto lowered himself onto the ground and leaned back against a maple tree. It was the last day of of the school year and the atmosphere seemed lighter than usual, but all it meant to him was that he was almost done with high school. After a year of being ignored and pushed aside, he couldn't wait to leave.

A roar of laughter erupted from a nearby table. The scoff that Yugi answered it with was filled with anger, disgust, and arrogance as he recognized the voices of his so called 'friends'. They were all gathered a table with his Yami-or should he say his former Yami. A few months ago, he was in the middle of all that excitment and laughter. Now, he was far from their minds, just a invisible shadow passing through once in a while.

It all started when Yami got his own body. (a/n: Yep! The classic sentence that starts a whole chain of events.)

_xxxxxx_

It was okay in the beginning.

Yugi had rejoiced and celebrated with everyone else when Yami had walked out of his body and into his own. (a/n: walked? well...not really) Yugi had bright plans for he and the pharaoh and couldn't wait to spend endless hours of gaming with him. Yami had renewed his oath to protect his light and sworn to use his new body to do so. For a while, the pair were always found together, a light accompanied by its dark. ...pair of innocent amethyst sparks would often be gazing up at the dark orbs of a proud guardian. Life was good.

It only took a month for things to start falling apart

It happened gradually. Joey and Tristan were easily drawn to Yami's competitive and winning nature. The friendly punches and pats on the back that Yugi was so used to were now regularily given to Yami. Téa was an easy win. She had been obsessed with the pharaoh from the start and didn't miss any opportunities to snuggle up to him, forever tagging along on everything the boys did. They would duel every night and weekend, and with the King of Games around, the school was intrigued and hooked. As with his grandpa? Now that there was someone to him compare to, Yugi was constantly told to be stronger, more reliable, more helpful, and to live up to Yami's good examples. Yugi had decided to give everyone time to regroup and rethink and thought that the excitement would wear off, but something told him that the way he was getting excluded from his friend's and family's social life more often was getting him nowhere.

_xxxxxx_

Yugi chewed on his sandwich while observing the courtyard. For the umteenth time, he would remark on how the jocks would sit at their own table with their girls and how the gangsters would huddle in their own little corner. There were many other cliques and groups...the smart people, the didn't-belong-in-any-group people...and of course-the table where Yami held court.

After a couple of months of being constantly left out, Yugi finally figured it out. He was invisible. Yami's darkness had out shined his light. (a/n: that sounds weird! but i can imagine it) His friends were too occupied with Yami to give Yugi a second glance, that is if they ever got around to giving him the first one. Even the great Seto Kaiba seemed to be somewhat captivated when in Yami's prescence and would sometimes be found sitting at the edge of his table. The only time his grandpa bothered to acknowledge his existence was to tell him off. The last that Yugi had heard from his was when he had yelled at him for the unwashed laundry Yami had forgotten to do. As impossible as it seemed to be, it was true. He had faded out of existance and didn't even fit in at the didn't-belong table. His place was under his tree, small and inconspicuous.

Yugi stuffed the last of his sandwich into his mouth as the bell rang to call the students back into school.

_xxxxxx_

The bell signaled the end of school a few hours later as it rang for the last time. Yugi displayed his usual blank expression as he walked out of the doors of the place that held so many happy and painful memories. The rest of the school population was trading hugs and phone numbers, but Yugi walked right past them, looking strait ahead.

He stumbled through the back door of his grandpa's a few minutes later house with the carton of eggs that he know the elder Moto needed. He often used the back entrance so he wouldn't have see or speak to anyone, but it seemed that his grandpa was at the game shop and Yami wasn't back yet, so he stashed the eggs into the fridge and grabbed a snack for himself.

_xxxxxx_

The front door slammed when Yugi was halfway through his apple and Yami entered the kitchen. An awkward silence filled that room. It had been a while since both Yugis were alone in the same room. Yugi glared at his Yami over the top of his apple while Yami's crimson eyes reflected a hint of surprise. The younger boy held his gaze steady as the boiling tears and anger that his heart had housed for the past few months resurfaced and filled his whole body, and the promises that his Yami had broken fueled it. The ugly and corrosive heat raged through him as he tightened his grip on his apple, digging his nails into its skin and breaking it, wishing it was Yami, wanting to hurt him but knowing that he couldn't bring himself to.

Yami's eyes glazed over and resumed its usual confident sheen as he went to get a snack of his own. Yugi saw his Yami's mouth open to say something but he didn't want to hear it. Why should he care if Yami was out of organic carrot sticks ?

Yugi loudly pushed his chair back and made a quick exit.

After having his identity taken, Yugi had moved into the attic. It offered him peace and quiet, but most importantly privacy, for his grandfather had no idea that his grandson resided there. Pathetic much?

His 'room' consisted of an old moldly mattress, a box filled with his belongings as his nightstand, a second box that held his clothing, and the old desk that he had pushed next to the window. All the other junk and furniture was stashed to the side. Not your ideal teenager's den, but it was the only place in the house that Yami and his fans never used. These days, life seemed better when they weren't around.

_xxxxxx_

Yugi placed his bookbag onto his desk and reached in to get his homework. Then he remembered. There wasn't any. School is over and he wouldn't have to go back in the fall. over. Over. OVER. Permanently. Done. Finished. No more. It was hard to believe.

A jolt of fear hit Yugi as he realized... With no school. he was on his own. He had been pushing the truth away, but now it was in his face.

What would he do?

What could he do?

Where would he live?

Where would he go?

How would he make a living?

Would he be able to make a living?

All those questions toyed with Yugi's mind as he desperatly tried and failed to find the answers...

_xxxxxxx_

damn! He knew that he would have to make these choices, so why did he deep holding it off?

Okay...inhale, exhale...it wasn't to late if he started now. What was he going to do? Yugi brainstormed of what he could do well. All he could think of was gaming, but even that was a cruel joke for all his tournament titles were won by Yami. He hadn't dueled in a long time, not that there was anyone to play against, and the thought of duel monsters brought too many bittersweet memories, but heck, there were millions of other games for him to play! As for making a living, he would need a good job. Whether he could be a gamer and make a living off it was something he would have to actually try before he knew.

Now he needed a place to live. He didn't really want to stay here, but if not, where? Somewhere else in Domino, if in Japan at all? Yugi cursed himself again for not doing this ahead of time. He signed and admitted it. He was afraid of losing what he still had in his so called family. And that fear had kept him back. But is a family that hardly knew he existed going to keep him back from finding a new one? At least they gave him a roof to sleep under and food to fill his stomach even if they weren't aware of it.

Did he honestly wanted to spend the rest of his life in the dark?

_xxxxxx_

He had to save himself. He needed to leave. He deserved a fresh start.

Yugi slipped out of the attic and silently picked up the phone by the back door. He quietly carried up the stairs and dialed the airport to book a plane (a/n: well, more like a seat on a plane) for the evening. When asked by the attendent where to, he said...

anywhere

When Yugi put down the phone, he felt like he was stepping out of a cage for the first time in months. He was free to leave and he had nothing to hold him back anymore. His plane was leaving for L.A. at 8 p.m.

There wasn't much to pack. He emptied his back pack of the contents of his locker and replaced it with a few black shirts, his school blazer. and his collection of chains and cuffs nestled in with a few personal belongings. (a/n: lol! it seems like I made a punk of Yugi but his clothing just seem to reflect what he's feeling) He pocketed what money he had left for what he had in the bank was going towards his plane ticket. After a long moment, Yugi stuffed the Duel Monster cards that Yami hadn't taken in his bag. He'd probably never use them, but he couldn't seem to leave it behind.

With that, he was done packing. That was going to be all that he was going to step foot on America with. It would do. Still, Yugi felt like he was forgetting something.

_xxxxxx_

What if his grandpa found out he was missing? It's not like he would give a shit, He should leave a note.

Yugi ripped a piece of paper from his lab book and penned 'Dear Grandpa'. He scratched it out and though of how to write his farewell letter if someone actually cared to read it.

It was almost 6 o'clock, so Yugi quickly bent down and scribbled a short message.

High school is over and I'm leaving. I've had enough of being ignored and shunted to the side. This is my goodbye. Farewell -Yugi

Whatever. They'd get the point. Now, where should he put it?

Yugi left the note on his mattress and silently slipped out the back door with his bag in tow. Téa's squeals could heard from the road as the end of school bash continued in the yard. What a fool of a pharaoh he had for a yami! (a/n: okay, random thought!)

Yugi turned away and started down the road without looking back.

_xxxxxx_

Two hours later, Yugi watched from his window of his plane as the city of Domino shrank and faded through the mist of the clouds, sealing away his childhood. With that in mind, he shifted in his seat and drifted off into a restless sleep.

_xxxxxx_

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My other songfic's last line is something like that too! lol 

Okay, this is where I get explain everything. First of all, I honestly do not believe that Yugi's friends and family would abandom him like that even if Yami got his own body, but we all know that impossible things happen. This songfic takes a different approach to the story, where Yugi isn't in a mad reckless state but a confused, hurt and frustrated one. Yami and Co. didn't purposly abondon him, but they just sort of...forgot him. and I used the cheesy dubbed names cuz I spell the Japanese ones wrong more often than not. BTW, if you really like this I'll do a sequel where they meet up again just leave ur email address.

hey, I know this tune is from a Cinderella Story, but I really liked the mood of the song. I had to watch it with my little sister. It was an okay movie and Hilary Duff is an okay actress, so don't complain!

No flames, please! but I LOVE constructive critism! I quickly spell checked this so tell me any problems you see! Please REVIEW! and have a wonderful day/afternoon/night!

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That's pretty much the way it was before w/o the music. Thanks for reading!

NOTE: The sequel I mentioned above is now started. Three chapters so far.


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